Game theory is a fascinating topic that can provide insight into all levels of human interaction. To learn more about this topic you can read books or attend lectures, but did you know that there are many great YouTube channels for you to learn more visually?
Some of the best YouTube channels that cover game theory include Game Theory Online, One Minute Economics, Ashley Hodgson, William Spaniel, EconplusDal, Jacob Clifford, and The Economics Detective.
Though there are many more channels that cover game theory these are some of the best. The question is which ones are the best for you. Let’s go over each of these channels and break down how they go about explaining this concept.
How were these channels selected?
It would be difficult to list every single channel on YouTube that has or continues to cover game theory; the list would be too long! To make this simple these channels were selected to cover a variety of presentation styles, perspectives, and purpose.
The below channels vary in subscriber count and creation date. Some have many videos while others have only a few. What unites them all is the quality of content and thought. Each one covers game theory to a varying degree. Some simply cover it in the grander scheme of microeconomics.
Game Theory Online
- 23.9 thousand subscribers
- Channel created October 16, 2013
- 78 videos
This YouTube channel is a joint project that aims to educate how game theory can be applied to all levels of human interaction. The project is a collaboration between Matt Jackson, Kevin Leyton-Brown, and Yoav Shoham.
Matt Jackson and Yoav Shoham are both professors at Stanford University. Matt Jackson is a professor of Economics who studies microeconomics. Yoav Shoham is a computer scientist like Kevin Leyton-Brown. Kevin Leyton-Brown is an associate professor of computer science at the University of British Columbia.
The trio presents their videos primarily on their own with each section of a unit covered by one professor. They also have videos in which all three are present. The videos are all straight to the point in an effort to convey the concepts in the most efficient way.
One Minute Economics
- 145 thousand subscribers
- Channel created November 8, 2015
- 406 videos
One Minute Economics is run by Andrei Polgar. He aims to teach people through any method that works. This includes videos and his books. His videos range from one to two minutes in length. Though it might sound tricky to explain complex topics in this short amount of time, Polgar does so effortlessly.
These quick videos benefit from engaging animation to visualize the concepts covered.
He covers how the game theory applies to economics as well as many other economic topics. His two books, Wealth Management 2.0 and The Age of Anomaly, cover how to properly manage wealth and become financially resilient respectively.
Ashley Hodgson
- 15.6 thousand subscribers
- Channel created December 15, 2013
- 232 videos
Ashley Hodgson is an associate professor of Economics who aims to provide her lectures to more than just her students at St. Olaf College. Her videos are broken down into concepts that are easily digestible. Her videos range from as short as five minutes to twenty minutes.
Hodgson specializes in behavioral economics, health care economics, game theory, microeconomics theory, and blockchain economics. With over 200 videos, there is a lot to learn on her channel. In her videos, Hodgson makes use of white boards and simple video editing to help viewers in any way possible.
William Spaniel
- 278 thousand subscribers
- Channel created March 6, 2006
- 681 videos
William Spaniel is an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh. He teaches political science. He wrote Game Theory 101: The Complete Textbook, on which many of his videos are based. In fact, the channel used to be branded as GameTheory101. Spaniel’s channel has many playlists that organize his videos by topic.
He covers various topics within game theory as well as logic 101, bargaining 101, and microeconomic theory. Spaniel has also uploaded videos that analyze the Russia-Ukraine war in depth. His videos are great for undergraduate students.
EconplusDal
- 206 thousand subscribers
- Channel created October 12, 2011
- 614 videos
This channel is run by Virang Dal in an attempt to assist economics students in their studies. His videos focus on the UK’s A levels in particular but can be helpful to all. His microeconomics videos cover game theory and oligopoly.
In addition to revision assistance, Dal covers various materials that help when studying economics. Whether you’re studying in the UK or not there is something to learn about game theory and microeconomics on EconplusDal.
Jacob Clifford
- 749 thousand subscribers
- Channel created March 31, 2007
- 430 videos
Jacob Clifford is the co-host of Crash Course Economics on the CrashCourse YouTube channel. His personal YouTube channel is dedicated to economics. Like EconplusDal, Clifford focuses on helping students study and teachers create course lessons. Unlike EconplusDal, Clifford is US based.
His videos apply economics to real life and movies. He covers both macro and microeconomics and divides the lessons into units. He has playlists of 10 to 20 videos covering each unit. Throughout these units he talks about game theory in depth.
The Economics Detective
- 29.7 thousand subscribers
- Channel created June 25, 2007
- 180 videos
Lastly but certainly not least, The Economic Detective. This channel dives into all aspects of game theory from dominant strategy equilibrium to Nash equilibrium. The majority of the videos are formatted as radio episodes.
The Economics Detective channel regularly has guest speakers provide their insights into economics. Videos start as short as three minutes and can go to as long as 50 minutes or an hour. For added value, check out The Economics Detective blog.
Closing Thoughts
Though these are some of the best, they are not the only great YouTube channels that cover game theory. There are plenty more that cover it from different perspectives. Some are old lectures from universities while others are various professors wanting to expand the world’s knowledge.
References
https://inomics.com/teach/top-youtube-channels-to-learn-econometrics-and-economics-49279
https://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/teaching/Video%20and%20Audio%20Lectures/Game%20Theory
